Chris Strei

Chris Strei ("stray") is a Brantford, Ontario born singer/songwriter with 20+ years of experience in audio and performance. After 17 years of aspiration Chris took the leap of faith to make music a full-time career in January 2022. He performs at pubs/restaurants, breweries and private/corporate events across Southern Ontario. His songwriting style has been compared with artists like The Tragically Hip, Chris Stapleton and Tom Petty. Chris's lyrics tell relatable stories with a reflective point of view offering messages of resilience and faith, with compositions influenced by country and folk.

Chris has been blessed with opportunities to perform various events across Ontario and Alberta, including opening for The Trews (2017), Lethridge’s Canada Day Celebration (2019), playing alongside Juno-nominated folk singer-songwriter Dayna Manning, as well as accepting frequent invitations to play at Tourism Brantford events. In addition to performing, Chris is most commonly contributing to BCHS and Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation.
In July 2019, Chris released his full-length album, “The Moonshine,” to a sold-out audience at Riffs Music Lounge in Woodstock, Ontario. “The Moonshine” is a collection of 10 dynamic songs that touch on various topics and styles, from the sweet commitment of "Love You Anyhow," to the date-night glow of a dashboard light on the album's title track "Moonshine," the bittersweet goodbye of "Timbercreek," and the gritty, fan-favourite, “Prison Bound Man.”

In March 2020, Chris's family welcomed and said goodbye to their baby girl, Annabella. During this time of reflection, Chris started writing new music about their experience, creating a tribute to her memory. On top of “Annabella,” “Sunshine” and “I’m Still Standing,” Chris continues to consistently write and release music about resilience, faith and gratitude. In November 2025 he ventured into faith-based and worship music with the release of “One Day At A Time”, produced by Iain McNally and featuring Randy Cooke on drums, is a song about setting aside an idol to follow a more righteous path and say “Yes” to Jesus. In June 2026, Iain McNally won Producer/Engineer Of The Year in the London Music Awards for his work on “One Day At A Time”.

His music is available on all streaming platforms and ChrisStrei.com. Follow @imchrisstrei to stay up to date with upcoming releases, shows and content.